My Canada-The Maritimes Aug. 2016, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Part 3 of the “Staycation” series. Spending our vacation time as Canadians exploring our Canada.
Who knew-I didn’t. I did not know Nova Scotia had such a beautiful, mountainous, landscape! I am sooo glad we included Cape Breton into our driving trip on Nova Scotia! We had heard from others that it is not always a given that you can actually see the landscape here – fog often moves into place obscuring the view. We travelled here in Aug. and I was surprised that we also encountered some fog in the lower lying spots in between the mountains- making driving a bit tricky and adding bit of angst to hairpin turns and shear cliff drops. But for the most part-we struck it lucky with being able to see the landscape and the Ocean! Yeah!
It is definitely an outdoor enthusiasts dream! My husband, Henry’s goal was to hike at least one of the many park trails. We chose the easiest/shortest trail to hike based on our timeframe that day and my fitness ability. I have to say… I thought I was in pretty good shape. But after 1.5 hours hiking the trail to the Ocean- climbing up boulders and going up and down along the paths, I was quite hot and extremely exhausted! 
Not only hot and exhausted, upon arriving back at the car, I realized I had a golfball sized insect bite on the back of my neck. EEKKK. Henry would have liked to do many more trails-I on the other hand, was done at one and spent the next couple of days Googling insects of Nova Scotia and nursing a sore neck and wondering where the closest hospital would be if I needed it. But in hindsight- the bite and sore neck were a small inconvenience in comparison to the vast, incredible views and experiences gained hiking on the Trail!
Our other memorable stop in Cape Breton, was Louisbourg National Historic Site and Lighthouse. Again we had heard mention of this place along our travels and decided to make a point of visiting. Wow- so glad we did. When we arrived at this Canadian Historic Park we entered the visitor services building and wondered where the Fortress was. We then realized that a shuttle bus would transport us to the main Fortress area.
I think Henry and I were both shocked (I’m sure it showed on our faces) at the magnitude of the Historic Fortress when the bus stopped and let us out!! We wondered if we were going to have enough time to cover the entire grounds! I kept thinking I should have paid more attention in Grade 11 Canadian History class and I would have known about this!
We loved interacting with the costumed interpreters-and the fact that they had livestock including sheep and geese, etc… just made it feel like you were back in history! They included many demonstration (I loved the lace making) and we were even able to enjoy tea in one of the buildings!
We also heard about the lighthouse and stopped there after we left the park. I would highly recommend stopping at the Louisbourg Lighthouse (below) if you’re already in this area!
Cape Breton had numerous great stops that also included the town of Beddeck where we visited the Alexander Graham Bell Historic Site and watched sailing on the lake from the Historic site.(below) I think I could go on and on about this beautiful region. Make sure it is on your agenda if you are heading to Nova Scotia!
My Canada -Maritimes Trip Aug.2016- Lunenburg & Mahone, NS
Part 2 in the Maritimes series! My husband Henry and I discussed our vacation plans last year and came to a quick decision, that based on the rate of the Canadian dollar, we would to stay in our own Canada and explore and appreciate what this great country has to offer. We live in Manitoba, central Canada, and neither us had ever been further east than Montreal. We were encouraged to explore the Maritimes by a number of individuals we knew who had recently travelled there and then decided on a 2 week trip- spending one week in the province of Nova Scotia and one in P.E.I..
This blog I am focusing in on two of the most “picturesque” villages we visited in Nova Scotia- Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. They were, without a doubt, the most colourful as well as being architecturally and historically interesting. We only spent a few hours in Mahone Bay (some of the later pictures in the blog)- but the short time there was FILLED with views of the most beautifully painted historic homes -as you would expect from a village established in the 1750’s to be. The well-kept small shops were so unique and interesting (Like the rug hooking store picture below) and the shop keepers were friendly (even if we didn’t buy anything!) I could have spent more time there just wandering up and down the main road but we had scheduled in more stops for the Day.
Lunenburg was another historic town I would highly recommend visiting. Have to say it was a hub of activity when we arrived. We should have googled town festivals because little did we realize, we arrived on the town’s Harbour Folk festival Day. (Google the town and you’ll find a calendar stating special activities). We arrived there quite early so we were still able to find parking for the day and then walked around the town the rest of the day. If you plan on doing this I’d recommend wearing solid, comfortable, grippy footwear/runners because the town has a number of steep hills. The hike up the town hill from the harbour was well worth the effort to take in the sights of the amazing, black and white , St. John’s Anglican Church!
Being there during the festival was also a bonus as the Bluenose II schooner was docked in the harbour and we were able to go aboard the Nova Scotia’s sailing Ambassador. (Henry was thrilled!). I made sure to include a few pictures of that! I also enjoyed going into a community hall where local vendors were selling everything from homemade delectable desserts to various handcrafted items as part of the festivities.
What impressed me most about the town was its remarkable historical buildings and homes – architecture marvels. I loved seeing the plaques on the homes that included original owners names and occupations. You could go from home to home reading up about the founders of the town. I also was charmed by the details including the unique ocean related signs about the town including shapes of various fish and shells etc. As we drove away from the town at the end of the day, I could not help but think-Yes- I could live here!
Ebonie K Photography 